As supermarkets ration lettuce and broccoli because of bad weather in Spain and Italy, the veg shortage has been widely publicised, but all is not lost – the British legions can still be well fed.

One organic grower is claiming that British veg is king, or should that be emporer, and is taking a gladiatorial stance to defend local produce. Guy Watson, founder of the UK's biggest organic veg retailer, Riverford, says: "We need to relearn the potential of great British veg, and embrace seasonal British winter crops instead of relying on imports. Right now our fields are brimming with wonderful cabbages, leeks, kale, swede and flavourful greenery that have much more to offer than imported courgettes or watery iceberg lettuce."

Alan and Vicki Mowat, who run Riverford's Bath outlet, have suggested swapping iceberg for a British staple. They say: "A lack of lettuce isn't a big deal. One of our most popular winter recipes is our kale Caesar salad (scroll down for the recipe).

"Kale can be a far superior substitute for bland salad leaves and it's also really easy to make a vibrant winter slaw using beetroot, carrot, red cabbage and swede – all in season and growing in British fields right now."

Kale can be a far superior substitute to bland salad leaves

While promoting its award-winning veg box delivery scheme, Riverford has been championing its growers and striving to minimise waste. Guy explains: "When I was growing for supermarkets, up to a half of all veg was often left in the field due to unnecessarily tight cosmetic specifications.

"We don't believe in such needless waste. For example, we're including undersized broccoli heads in our veg boxes, but just giving more of them. Because we grow, source, pack and deliver our veg ourselves, we have the flexibility to widen our specifications."

The website's recipe hub is packed with ideas to help bring British veg to life. Among the hub favourites are kale, chorizo and potato hash, Moroccan cauliflower salad with chickpeas and hazelnuts, and kale, fruit and nut pilaf.

Riverford's Kale Caesar Salad recipe is by James Dodd, head chef at The Riverford Field Kitchen restaurant.

Method Add all of the ingredients (except for the oil) into a blender. Make sure the eggs are just poached and still hot. Blend. Slowly add the oil, bit by bit, until smooth and completely blended. Toss with the kale and leave to sit for about 15 minutes before serving, which allows the acidity to take away the raw taste and texture from the kale. Top with croutons and a hard cheese, like Parmesan, or whatever takes your fancy. Keep any leftover dressing in a fridge and use within a few days.

Riverford has been growing veg for 30 years from its farm in Devon and the veg box scheme now sends out around 47,000 boxes a week to a loyal band of customers, who share the company's commitment to fresh, seasonal food, produced with respect to customers, staff, farmers, livestock and the environment. Simply order online. For more information visit the website www.riverford.co.uk .